I'm A Celebrity's Grace Dent made 'sick jokes' about Nigel Farage's plane crash

19 November 2023 , 09:57

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Nigel Farage is set to face I'm A Celebrity co-star Grace Dent for the first time since she poked fun at his 2010 plane crash (Image: Getty Images)

There is likely to be tension in the jungle air tonight (Sunday, November 19) as I'm A Celebrity contestant Grace Dent meets co-star Nigel Farage for the first time since poking fun at his plane crash.

Former UKIP leader Farage was the subject of a near-fatal smash when his aircraft came down in a Northamptonshire field in May 2010. The 59-year old, who was the sole passenger at the time, had to be plucked from the wreckage fearing with blood streaming down his face as he groaned: "I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared."

And after miraculously walking away from the incident with just two broken ribs and injuries to his spine and breast-bone, Grace took to X (formerly Twitter) to write: "I hope none of the people who saved Nigel Farage’s life today were pesky immigrants."

Farage was luckily to escape with his life after his UKIP banner became entangled with the aircraft's tail (PA)

The 50-year old Masterchef food critic, who also writes for the Guardian, added in jest: "UKIP claim Nigel Farage crash brought about by nonsensical European laws of gravity." Now, as the pair go head-to-head in this year's edition of the ITV show, a source close to Farage has described Grace's actions as "crass".

The source explained: "Nigel is the first one to take the mick out of himself. But the truth is that he very nearly died in that crash. Any joke about the plane crash is crass and poor taste."

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They continued: "No one who saw them will forget the pictures of him being pulled from the wreckage. Nigel is always up for a debate - especially with those who may not like him - but citing the crash is a step too far."

Farage's plane plummeted after a UKIP banner became entangled around its tail on the day of the General Election that year. Speaking of his ordeal, he later explained: "I could feel petrol in my hair and I was trapped in this thing and I was talking to the pilot. We were saying to each other, 'Are you OK? Are you OK?'

"He was panicking more than me because of the petrol and just this awful feeling that we had survived the impact but were we going to burn to death? And yeah - that is pretty scary."

The trauma left pilot Justin Adams with depression after he was airlifted to hospital. Three years later he was sadly found dead at his home in East Sussex, aged just 48.

Grace's I'm A Celeb appearance comes as somewhat of a surprise, meanwhile, after she once labelled the show "a puerile venture into starvation, televised constipation and animal cruelty, abbreviated by ads for Iceland £1 curries." She admitted in 2012: "I snap my blinds firmly shut before settling down to watch I’m a Celeb, in fear the theme tune alone devalues my property."

Mirror Online has invited representatives for the pair to comment.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! returns to ITV at 9pm tonight.

Alan Johnson